Iran’s newly-appointed ambassador to Pretoria says the country is seeking to launch direct flights and shipping lines to South Africa, adding that the obstacles on this way have been nearly removed.
Mansour Shakibmehr made the remarks during a visit to Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) where he met with the members of Iran-South Africa Joint Committee of Commerce.
The meeting took place prior to the ambassador’s departure for Pretoria.
Vice-President of Iran Chamber of Commerce Mohammad-Reza Bahraman, who was also present at the meeting, hailed 55 years of relations between Iran and South Africa and said that Iran can provide South Africa with its technological and techno-engineering needs.
He referred to the launch of an Iranian trade center in South Africa, stressing that this center has to operate in a way that will pave the way for closer relations between economic sectors of the two countries.
“We should offer our capacities, especially those in the areas of energy and mining, through this center,” Bahraman said.
Speaking in the meantime, the Iranian new ambassador to Pretoria vowed to make every effort to facilitate cooperation between the private sectors of Iran and South Africa.
Noting that Iran’s share of South Africa’s $180 billion trade is very insignificant, Shakibmehr said that if introduced well, the Iranian techno-engineering services would gain a good place in the South African market.
Babak Hedayati, the head of Iran-South Africa Joint Committee of Commerce, was another one who addressed the meeting. He stressed that the areas of energy and tourism, health tourism in particular, are among the areas on which the two countries can cooperate.